How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth
' |image= |series= |production=22022 |producer(s)= |story= |script=Russell Bates David Wise |director=Bill Reed |imdbref=tt0832414 |guests= |previous_production=The Practical Joker |next_production=The Counter-Clock Incident |episode=TAS B05 |airdate=5 October 1974 |previous_release=Albatross |next_release=The Counter-Clock Incident |story_date(s)=Stardate 6063.4 |previous_story=Albatross |next_story=The Counter-Clock Incident }} =Summary= Following a signal from a mysterious probe, the Enterprise is immobilized by an alien whose ship resembles a winged serpent. The alien claims to be Kukulkan, god of the ancient Mayan and Aztec peoples of Earth. He says that he is actually a very long-lived, benevolent entity who wants the humans to worship him, as the Mayans and Aztecs did. Upon resistance by the crew, he proclaims them "thankless". Kukulkan transports Captain Kirk, Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy, Chief Engineer Scott and Ensign Walking Bear to his ship. By using technology similar to a holodeck, Kukulkan makes them believe they are standing in the middle of an ancient city. Kukulkan warns them that he will only appear before them once they've solved the riddle of the city. The city combines the architectures of many ancient Earth cultures: Egyptian, Aztec, Chinese, etc. Kirk concludes that Kukulkan had visited many of the peoples on Earth, but each only took a portion of what he taught them. So none of them ever fulfilled the complete instructions to signal his return. By chance, Kirk scales a huge pyramid in the center of the city. There, he concludes that the sun will activate Kukulkan's signalling device. He orders Bones and Scotty to turn huge serpent-headed statues toward the pyramid. In doing so, the now focused sunlight ignites the signalling device. Kukulkan responds, "Behold, my design is complete. See me now with your own eyes!" Kukulkan does appear and turns out to be an alien winged serpent. The city disappears, only to make the group realize that they were never really there. They now realize that the collection of animals they see before them in small glass "cages" was exactly how they experienced the city. The animals are unaware of being on Kukulkan's ship, much as the group thought they were actually in an ancient city. Kukulkan demands that the humans worship him, just as the ancients on Earth did. He grows angry when Kirk explains that mankind has "grown up" and no longer needs to worship him. In the meantime, Science Officer Spock has figured out a way to free the Enterprise from Kukulkan's beam and breaks free. This, too, angers Kukulkan who exclaims that he will "smash" the Enterprise. To buy Spock some time, Kirk and Bones decide to break loose a Capellan Power Cat from one of Kukulkan's glass cages. The distraction works, as the Enterprise is able to use its phasers to disable Kukulkan's ship. With the Power Cat threatening Kukulkan, Kirk leaps at the animal and is able to sedate it with a hypo. Kirk again attempts to reason with Kukulkan, conceding that while the alien did help humanity when it needed it, they no longer need his guidance. The alien reluctantly agrees, and departs. =Errors and Explanations= Nit Central # ScottN on Monday, December 20, 1999 - 3:39 pm - It's been ages since I've seen this one (we don't get TVLand), but for some reason this one has stuck with me for 25 years...Kirk mispronounces Kulkulkan's name. He pronounces it "Kuklakan". Lots of names get mispronounced, especially if there is more than one acceptable pronunciation!. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - 5:35 am - Kukulkan comes from a ridiculously long-lived species. Yeah, yeah, he's not the only one, but frankly why the heck didn't all these long-lived species ever get together? They might end up attacking each other out of shear boredom! # Not that this is a nit, but wouldn't it be more in keeping with Federation ideals for Kirk to add that there is a Federation of various beings that Kukulkan could join? Searching out new life is part of the reason they are out there. Not to mention the archeologists who would love to talk to an entity that was there when humans were founding civilizations. Kukulkan would probably reject that suggestion out of hand, due to his overriding need to be worshiped, which is by no means guaranteed. # Mike on Thursday, October 07, 2010 - 9:15 am - At the conclusion Kirk states that they could have learned much from Kulkukan but that the price of being his children was too high. Agreed, but why could not Kulkukan understand this & work with the Federation as equals? Kulkukan had no arms at all, so iwonder how he was able to create anything or use tools of any kind? He's become too used to being worshiped to even consider members of the Federation as anything approaching his equal. =Notes= =Sources= Category:The Animated Series Category:Episodes